‘We have to stand together’ Canada-themed goods all the rage in face of Trump’s threats, insults By: Scott Billeck Posted: 5:26 PM CST Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025 Last Modified: 10:44 PM CST Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025 Updates

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This article was published 12/02/2025 (323 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s rare to find a Canadian business pleased with U.S. President Donald Trump.

However, for some local retail shops, his plan to slap tariffs on Canadian goods and comments about Canada becoming the 51st state have put money in their pockets.

“We have had quite an uptick in sales of patriotic products,” said Kara McDowell, who owns T-Shirt Connection, which is in a strip mall at 1580 Taylor Ave.

The shop has been selling hats and tuques with patriotic messages such as “Canada, Not For Sale Eh!” and “Canada is not for sale.”

McDowell said they are embroidered in-store. Because it’s a custom shop, plenty of customers have unique ideas for patriotic-themed shirts and hats, with some designs that poke fun at Trump.

For the most part, people have asked about pro-Canada designs, and McDowell said they haven’t had anyone ask about 51st-state designs.

“There have been some funny requests,” she said. “We have done some custom T-shirts with “Canada is already great. F*ck Trump.”

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Living in the time of Trump 2.0 has led to meaningful conversations in the store, she said.

“Many people have been drawn into the store because of the tuques, and we have had interesting conversations about buying Canadian and being Canadian with many of them,” she said. “Most customers, even if they do not purchase a patriotic product, usually say they are happy supporting a Canadian business rather than purchasing custom-printed products online from U.S. companies.”

It’s a similar story at the Oh Canada outlet in the Polo Park mall, owned by Ken and Laurie Keats.

Store manager Jade Donald said Wednesday she sold patriotic items to five customers shortly after they opened at 10 a.m.

“People just want to have something on them that shows they’re Canadian.”–Jade Donald

“There’s been quite the conversations happening between our staff and even between customers on how important it is to be shopping locally and supporting our own Canadian economy,” Donald said. “We have to stand together.”

Oh Canada, which also has a store at the St. Vital mall, has been selling T-shirts and hats emblazoned with “Canada is not for sale.” Canadian patches and pins are moving at a steady rate.

“People just want to have something on them that shows they’re Canadian,” she said.

Donald said Trump’s threats have encouraged Canadians to be more patriotic.

“Sometimes we need it, and even if it’s a little more expensive, it’s worth it,” she said.

Samantha Hobson, a sales associate at The Flag Shop at 734 Osborne St., said Wednesday she’d been busy fielding calls about the Canadian flag all day.

Five former prime ministers — Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin, Stephen Harper, Joe Clark and Kim Campbell — released a joint open letter on Tuesday to encourage Canadians to fly the flag with pride on Flag Day, on Saturday.

It’s also the 60th anniversary of the red-and-white maple leaf flag. Chrétien had declared Feb. 15 as Flag Day in 1996.

“In the face of threats and insults from Donald Trump, Canadians have come together to express their love for our country and their determination to defend Canada’s values and our independence,” their statement said.

“As former prime ministers of Canada, we applaud this national spirit. And we call on our fellow Canadians to show the flag as never before.”

Hobson, whose parents own the store, said the last 24 hours had been very busy.

“We came in this morning with just a few web orders. We just launched our new website, so we were very excited. Then the phones started ringing off the hook.”

Hobson said foot traffic also spiked on Wednesday.

“A few people have gone as far as buying poles and brackets to put on their houses,” she said. “Tariffs will be painful for all of us, but it’s nice to see Canadians seek out those made-in-Canada products and support our local businesses. I think that’s important.”

Selkirk Mayor Larry Johansson has been displaying his Canadian pride by sporting a red ball cap with a four-word message: “Canada is Already Great.”

His city is bracing for impact, after Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. The decision would affect hundreds of workers at the city’s Gerdau steel mill, one of the region’s largest employers, if it isn’t reversed before March 12, the date it is scheduled to take effect.

Johansson said he got the hat back in 2018 during the first round of tariffs during Trump’s first term in office.

Someone saw him wearing a Selkirk-themed hat and offered to trade for the red cap that, at first glance, looks like a “Make America Great Again” hat, which is proudly worn by Trump supporters.

Johansson had the ball cap hanging in his office since then, and when Trump started his tariff talk again, he put it back on.

“It’s got a lot of attention,” Johansson said Wednesday from Fredericton, where he’s attending a conference on sustainable communities. “People have been asking me everywhere I go. Even the pilots coming here commented on it when I was getting on the plane.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.